Appendix E Call Training Description

Appendix E: Caller Training Description OMB Control Number 0584-XXXX

Expires Month/Day/Year

Caller Training Description

Phone calls will be made at two points in the survey process—company recruitment and authorization of store participation, and reminder phone calls to nonresponders to the Large SNAP Company and Store Surveys (Appendices C1 and C2, respectively) after receiving four email reminders. Nonresponders will be asked to complete the surveys.

Company Recruitment Training

For this phase of the research, calls will be made by senior research personnel only. These researchers have not only completed general interviewer training described below, but regularly train and supervise others in this process. They have also participated in the development of the survey instruments, so they are knowledgeable of the survey processes and the survey instruments.

Topics Covered

Senior researchers conducting the recruitment will follow the Company Recruitment Call Script (Appendix D3.1) and the Company Referral Call Script (Appendix D3.2) to gather and provide the following information:

• Corporate contact name/information to authorize/facilitate company participation

• Engage companies in the need to participate in the study

  • Emphasize common interest of companies, UF and FNS in preventing and reducing fraud and theft.

  • Build on shared commitment between UF, LPRC and Company to research as a means of informing decisions about how to reduce fraud and theft, develop effective LP practices, allocate LP resources, prioritize loss prevention goals, etc.

  • Address any reluctance or concern that the respondent has by providing information and explanations from Frequently Asked Questions (shown in introduction to the survey instruments in Appendices C1 and C2) on the purpose of the study, how privacy will be maintained, how FNS will use the information, reiterating the common interest of both companies and FNS in assuring the integrity of SNAP.

• Collect proper email address, if needed; Send surveys in pdf format for company review and records

• Following corporate approval:

  • Contact name/information for person in store operations (or similar) department to authorize/facilitate store-level participation, if needed, following the Referral Call Script (Appendix D3.2)

  • Company authorization of store participation

    • Provide list of sampled stores via email

    • Facilitation of contact with sampled stores to complete store-level surveys via Suggested Text for Company Authorization of Stores (Appendix D3.3)

Company and Store Nonresponder Call Training

The general training for FSRC surveyors includes a 37-page manual that outlines every aspect of conducting a phone survey. The manual also presents screen images of the company survey so the interviewer will see actual situations they may encounter. Among the topics covered in training are:

• Background on the FSRC

• Background on surveys and survey instruments

• Sample survey types

• Requirement to follow the Company and Store Nonresponder Call Scripts (Appendices D7 and D8, respectively)

• Requirement to read survey exactly as presented on the computer system

• Different question formats and how to administer them

• Probing

• Respondent FAQ’s and responses, shown in the introduction to the survey instruments (Appendices C1 and C2)

• Computer requirements and operation

• Survey administration, including an item by item review of the Large SNAP Company Survey (Appendix C1) and the Large SNAP Store Survey (Appendix C2)

• Disposition code

• Call back scheduling-